Ysyk-Köl

Ysyk-Köl, Russian Issyk-Kul, oblasty (province), northeastern Kyrgyzstan. In the northeast is Lake Ysyk (Issyk-Kul) at an elevation of 5,276 feet (1,608 metres) and surrounded by ranges rising to some 17,100 feet (5,200 metres), while in the southeast, on the frontier with China, are the highest peaks of the Tien Shan mountain range, culminating in Victory Peak at 24,406 feet (7,439 metres). The climate around Lake Ysyk is relatively mild, but in the mountain valleys of the southeast even the summers are cool.

Fine-fleeced sheep and pedigree horses are reared on the province’s extensive pastures, and grain and potatoes are grown in the eastern part of the Lake Ysyk basin. Ysyk-Köl traditionally has been a major producer of raw opium. Industry is found mainly in Karakol (Przhevalsk) and the provincial capital of Balykchy (Issyk-Kul). Most of the population live around the lake, which is also a summer resort area, the town of Cholpon-Ata on its north shore being especially popular. Most of the population is Kyrgyz, with a Russian minority. Area 16,646 square miles (43,114 square km). Pop. (2005 est.) 430,500.